A legal standoff over Donald Trump's proposed $400 million White House ballroom project intensified on Monday after the plaintiff refused a request from the US Department of Justice to withdraw the case following a recent security incident.
The dispute comes in the wake of a shooting scare at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, from which Trump had to be evacuated.
Citing the incident, DOJ officials argued that the ongoing lawsuit could pose heightened risks to the president's safety.
However, lawyers representing the plaintiff , National Trust for Historic Preservation, pushed back strongly.
ALSO READ:
“Your assertion that this lawsuit puts the President's life at ‘grave risk' is incorrect and irresponsible,” attorney Gregory Craig wrote in a letter to DOJ Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, according to CNBC.
“Simply put, this case does not jeopardize the President's safety in any way,” Craig added, while also noting that there is nothing preventing the administration from seeking congressional approval for the project if required under law.
The DOJ, however, maintained a sharply different stance. In his earlier communication, Shumate said the lawsuit “puts the lives of the President, his family, and his staff at great risk,” urging the plaintiff to reconsider in light of what he described as a “narrow miss.”
“I hope that yesterday's narrow miss will help you finally realize the folly of a lawsuit that literally serves no purpose except to stop President Trump no matter the cost,” Shumate wrote, adding, “Enough is enough… Your client should voluntarily dismiss this frivolous lawsuit.”
ALSO READ:
US President Donald Trump on Sunday made a fresh call for building a high-security ballroom within the White House complex, hours after he was evacuated from the annual dinner of journalists at a downtown hotel following a shooting incident.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday morning, and called for dropping the court case in the matter
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.